Which NFC East Team Pulled Off The Better Trade?

For a while there it looked like the Dallas Cowboys were going to be the only team to make any moves ahead of the NFL trade deadline, but the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles ended up getting in on the action as well. With nearly the entire NFC East division making a blockbuster trade, excluding the New York Giants, I thought it would be fun to examine who might have done it better?

As of right now, there is no way of knowing whether the Cowboys, Eagles, or Redskins made the better deal for the particular player they acquired via trade, so all we can do is speculate. But speculating can be fun on its own merits, so that is exactly what I want to do today.

Let's begin by taking a closer look at not only the player each team acquired, but what they had to give up to complete the trade and the future impact they could have with their new organization.

Wide Receiver, Amari Cooper (Dallas Cowboys)

Dallas Cowboys WR Amari Cooper

The Dallas Cowboys were the first team in the NFC each division to make a move to acquire Wide Receiver Amari Cooper before the NFL trade deadline. The move caught many of us around Cowboys Nation by surprise, but it wasn't necessarily because of who they acquired via trade, more of what they gave up to acquire Cooper's services.

Giving up their 2019 first-round draft pick was a steep price to pay, but the Cowboys had to outbid their division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, who were offering a second-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for Amari Cooper. The Cowboys get a 24-year-old, two-time Pro Bowl WR who has about a year and a half remaining on his current contract.

Wide Receiver, Golden Tate (Philadelphia Eagles)

Philadelphia Eagles WR Golden Tate

After going after Amari Cooper and failing by being outbid by the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles turned their sights to other wide receivers on the trade block. On the final day before the NFL trade deadline, the Eagles pulled the trigger on Detroit Lions WR Golden Tate.

The Eagles sent the Lions a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft to acquire Golden Tate. Tate is 30 years old and has made just one Pro Bowl (2014) in his career. He is in the last year of his contract, meaning Philadelphia might only have his services for the remainder of the 2018 season before he becomes a free agent.

Safety, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (Washington Redskins)

Washington Redskins FS Ha Ha Clinton-Dix

Not to be left out, the Washington Redskins decided to bolster the back end of their defense by acquiring Ha Ha Clinton-Dix via trade from the Green Bay Packers before the trade deadline yesterday. It doesn't look as flashy as acquiring a receiver like the Eagles and Cowboys did, but Clinton-Dix is a really good acquisition nonetheless.

The Redskins sent the Packers a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft for Clinton-Dix's services. The 25-year-old, one-time Pro Bowl free safety is in the last year of his rookie contract, and much like Golden Tate is on kind of a rental for the remainder of the 2018 season before becoming a free agent. Clinton-Dix could be the missing piece on an already really good Washington defense.

Verdict: Dallas Cowboys

Although I strongly believe all three of these teams will greatly benefit from the trades they made, I think the Dallas Cowboys ended up making the better deal, even though they surrendered the most.

I know many of you will disagree with me, but I think Amari Cooper was worth investing more in because of his age and the fact the Cowboys have a year and a half to see what they're getting before having to decide about his long-term future with the organization. That's just a smart business decision in my opinion.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins have basically eight games with their new players before deciding if they want to extend them long-term. With Golden Tate's age, he could be looking at one last big payday, meaning the Eagles may have to shell out some big bucks to keep him around after the season. He is definitely worth a third-round draft pick, but his future with the organization is questionable.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is a pretty safe investment on the Washington Redskins part as long as he wants to stick around long term. He may not make as much as an impact as either Amari Cooper or Golden Tate, but he might be the safer and most reliable out of all of these trades. If not for his uncertain future in Washington, I might have given the Redskins the nod over the Cowboys.

Level C2/C3 quadriplegic. College graduate with a bachelors degree in sports and health sciences-concentration sports management. Sports enthusiast. Dallas Cowboys fanatic. Lover of life with a glass half-full point of view.

You may like

1 Comment

ctabor21

October 31, 2018 at 11:55 am

The trade for Golden Tate was really crap! A third rounder for 8 games with a 30 yr old WR. There is no future there.
The Dix trade is pretty great if they lock him up to the next contract. At 25 that’s a good building block.
I personally like the Cooper trade because of his age and his two pro bowls. That’s another good future move. It did cost more than I would have liked, but hopefully it works out.

Cowboys Chill While Pats & Rams Set to Thrill

If you were to check out the line on the Super Bowl matchup between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams, you might wander over to Sportsbook Review, where you could read a 5Dimes review and see what all the best online sportsbooks, first and foremost among them 5Dimes, are dealing on this intriguing matchup. Tom Brady and the Patriots, much to everyone’s chagrin outside the six New England states, are back in it – again – and are currently slight favorites over the emerging LA Rams.

In New England’s 37-31 victory over the Chiefs, the Patriots did what they always seem to do, which is rally late and win in dramatic fashion. It’s become almost a ho-hum experience in New England while the rest of the country bites on a bullet, cursing the embarrassment of riches and success that has been the standard of this Patriots’ franchise for two decades. But this was supposed to be the season that the dynasty would end after viewing Tom Brady’s often mediocre performances and his All-World tight end, Rob Gronkowski, hobbling up and down the field without the same reckless abandon as we’ve seen in year’s past. And then their only truly talented speed merchant capable of stretching the field, Josh Gordon, left the team under a cloud of suspicion.

Unfortunately for the rest of the nation, the Patriots' once porous defense coalesced into a rather stout unit and apparently, the two weeks between the end of the regular season and the start of the Patriots’ postseason was enough time for Brady to heal from his rumored sprained MCL that he had been dealing with in silence all season long.

Gronkowski must have also visited the same shaman as Brady because he looked as dominating as ever in ripping the Chiefs on every critical third-down throughout the final quarter. Finally, the conduit to much of Brady’s success, Julian Edelman, is now being mentioned as a Hall-of-Fame candidate when his run is done.

It’s all a bit much for everyone else, but not for Patriots Nation.

The LA Rams will be the Patriots’ latest foe on the league’s grandest stage as they have a burgeoning superstar in Jared Goff. Los Angeles tore through the regular season off of the golden arm of Goff and his Juggernauts, winning 13 of 16 and earning a first-round bye. Their first foray into the 2018 postseason was a 30-22 win over the determined but overwhelmed Dallas Cowboys. The Rams then traveled to the lair of Drew Brees and the Saints down on the bayou and came away with a 26-23 overtime victory.

However, had it not been for an inexcusable non-call, it is far more likely LA would be watching, rather than participating in this year’s Super Bowl. If you didn’t see it or hadn’t heard about it, then the question begs; why are you reading this article?

Of course, you know that LA’s cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman steamrolled New Orleans’ wideout Tommylee Lewis as Brees’ pass was descending toward Lewis inside the five-yard line. It was a penalty without a flag and that one blown call forced the Saints to settle for a field goal that pushed them ahead 23-20. Yet, there was still enough time on the clock to give Goff and his prolific Rams’ offense one last gasp at either tying the game or putting a dagger through the hearts of Saints’ fans everywhere with a touchdown in the waning moments.

It was the former and not the latter that occurred, but an errant pass by Brees in overtime sealed the deal as the Rams picked it off and ultimately ended the contest off the thunderous foot of Greg Zuerlein.

If you want to check out the line movements over the next two weeks for Super Bowl LIII then get on over to Sportsbook Review, read the 5Dimes review, and see exactly where the money is moving the spread as well as the total in the game. Buckle up Cowboys’ fans, it’s gonna get even more interesting as February 3rd draws near.

Tell me what you think about "Cowboys en Español: Hablemos de los Coaches" in the comments below, or tweet me @MauNFL and let’s talk football! If you like football and are looking for a Dallas Cowboys show in Spanish, don’t miss my weekly Facebook Live! show, Primero Cowboys!

2018 Draft Class Season Review: LB Leighton Vander Esch

As the first round draft pick of America's Team, any player would be under a ton of pressure from all angles. Whether it's from the fans on the outside or the organization on the inside, the expectations around being a first round pick for the Cowboys are immense. But the pressure placed upon linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, from the second he was announced as the 19th overall draft pick, was second to none.

It felt like Cowboys Nation let out a collective groan when Vander Esch was taken, with fans hoping for a more glamorous first round selection. Someone like wide receiver Calvin Ridley or edge rusher Harold Landry would've done the trick, but after Vander Esch's rookie season it's hard to imagine either of those players would have had the impact Vander Esch did in 2018.

Though he didn't start a game until week 4, and didn't become the unquestioned full-time starting WILL until week 10, Vander Esch earned Pro Bowl honors for his rookie season. Tallying 140 total tackles and 2 interceptions, Vander Esch made his presence felt week in and week out.

Prior to the 2018 season, the Cowboys defensive success often came down to the health of Sean Lee. When available and playing at his best, Lee led an overachieving Cowboys defense to solid performances each week. But, when Lee went out (as he often did), the entire Cowboys defense seemed to fall apart.

This year, though, that all changed. When Sean Lee was out with injury the Cowboys defense got better. Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith became a versatile, hard hitting tandem the NFL immediately feared, and helped to direct the Cowboys defense to signature wins throughout the 2018 season.

There are arguments against taking any off-ball linebacker in the first round, as the value of the position has been questioned due to the new style of offense in the NFL. Nowadays linebackers are relegated to two-down players, taken off the field in favor of faster defensive backs on critical passing downs.

Leighton Vander Esch is athletic enough to be both an old school run stopper, but also a three down linebacker in today's fast paced NFL.

Despite the doubts which surrounded the pick, the Cowboys absolutely nailed their first round selection in 2018. And Leighton Vander Esch made Dallas' front office look like geniuses each and every Sunday.